Silver Souls and Fiery Hearts
by SmudgeTheSmeargle
Summary: This adventure starts with a shy girl named Resa. Once she recieves Flare, her new Cyndaquil, she's ready to make the sky the limit. Little do the pair know, a master trainer has had their back the entire time.
1. Prolougue

A lone Trainer stepped off the boat in Olivine City. She appeared to be one of the Kimono Girls, but most passerby paid no attention to her. A small little Treeko was shadowing her.

"Trrreee?"

"Shh... Not now."

The trainer fingered the golden amulet around her neck, resembling a heart made from two blazing wings. She had an odd air of confidence. And then a few boys ran into her, causing her to drop a small glass box. It shattered as it hit the ground, and gym badges skidded everywhere. A few Trainers whispered excitedly.

"Wow, that's a lot of gym badges."

"I don't recognize most of them..."

"Isn't that the Olivine Badge?"

"Does that mean she beat Jasmine?"

"How many do you think she has?"

"All of them, maybe."

The strange Trainer bent over to collect each badge.

The Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Soul, Marsh, Volcano, and the Earth Badges from Kanto.

"Hey, you with all the badges!"

The Zephyr, Hive, Plain, Fog, Storm, Mineral, Glacier, and the Rising Badges from Johto.

"Wait! Don't make her upset!"

The Stone, Knuckle, Dynamo, Heat, Balance, Feather, Mind, and the Rain Badges from Hoenn.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

The Coal, Forest, Cobble, Fen, Relic, Mine, Icicle, and the beacon badges from Sinnoh.

"Hey, lady! Want to battle me? I bet you won't win!"

The Trainer swept the thirty-two badges into a small bag. Someday she would claim the eight Isshu badges, but first she had some business to attend to...

"I'll battle you. Come on out, Glacier."

The Dewgong appeared in a flash of light. "Goooong!"

"An Ice-Type? Okay then... Tell 'em how tough you are, Arcanine!"

A smile slowly spread across the Dewgong Trainer's face. This should be a quick battle. And then she could Fly to New Bark Town on her Swellow.


	2. Chapter 1

Resa's green eyes scanned the page. She was studying furiously for the exams next week. Mrs. Elm had never been the most merciful teacher, and Resa had been given one last chance if she wanted to pass the class. If not, she would never receive her first Pokémon. She desperately longed to leave the tiny and very windy New Bark Town. But without a Pokémon... She sighed in frustration as her mom walked in.

"Resa, how's the studying going?" Her Mom had a reassuring smile on her face, but her eyes were clouded with worry. Resa slammed her head against the desk with a thud. Her mom continued.

"Not good, huh? Don't worry, Resa. I know you can do it. By the way, your friend Ethan was here earlier."

"What did he want?" Resa mumbled grouchily.

"He was looking for his Marill, I think..."

"Aw... did it run off again?"

"Who knows? Anyways, Professor Elm called just now."

Resa stared at her mom. "What?"

"He said he had a favor to ask of you," She said with a smile, "Can you manage to cut out a little time from the studying to go see him? I know how awfully busy you are-"

Resa slammed the books shut just a little too enthusiastically. "I think I could manage to take a break." The sarcasm was almost tangible. She grabbed her silver journal and tossed it in her black messenger bag. Then she threw it over her shoulders and headed out, pausing long enough to hug her mom. "Thanks. See ya."

As she rushed outside, she was knocked off her feet. As she scrambled to reorganize her thoughts, a boy walked up.

"There you are Marill!" He walked over and helped Resa to her feet. "Sorry about that, Resa. I guess he got a little carried away... " The said Marill was running circles around Resa's feet.

"It's nothing, Ethan." Resa said with a smile. Then Marill hopped up and grabbed Ethan's black and yellow cap, then ran off wildly in the other direction.

"Hey, wait! Come back here! Marill! I gotta go, Resa, see ya!" He dashed off after Marill, determined to get his cap back.

Resa laughed at the rogue little Pokémon. Then headed over to the Pokémon lab.

Professor Elm spun around in his chair. "Hello, Resa. I've been expecting you."

Resa snickered. It was too cliché. Elm broke out laughing. "Heheh, I've always wanted to do that." The smile faded, and he became more serious. "Resa, do you know about my research?"

Resa shook her head.

"As you know, Pokémon are carries around in Pokéballs these days... but that wasn't always the case."

"Really?" Resa said disinterestedly.

"That's right, Resa. Before the Pokéball was invented, people used to walk with their Pokémon. Just like your friend Ethan does! Pokéballs are great because you can carry many Pokémon. But walking with your Pokémon must have some advantages... It could have something to do with how they grow or evolve... And that's where you come in!"

Resa raised an eyebrow. "Wait... What?"

The professor smiled. "I'm going to give you a Pokémon."

Resa's eyes were wide. "R-really?" No chance of being bored now.

Elm continued. "Can you walk beside this Pokemon, outside of its Pokéball, to see if this brings any special feelings or bonds between Pokemon and people?"

Resa stared blankly "Um... sure... I guess..." It was a wierd question to ask.

"Alright, Resa. The device over there has some Pokémon you could choose from..."

A quick beep rang out through the lab. Professor Elm rushed to his laptop.

"Sorry, Resa. I just got an e-mail... do you mind?"

Resa shook her head.

"Okay then." He turned back to the laptop. "Hm... Uh-huh... OK..."

He was done with the e-mail fairly quickly. "Hey, listen. I know a man that most people call Mr. Pokémon. He keeps finding weird things and raving about his discoveries. Anyways, I just got an e-mail from him saying this time it's real." He looked at the ground and muttered. "It's probably just another Pokémon egg, but we're still so busy with our Pokémon research..." He looked up at Resa.

"Sounds like quite a problem." Resa wanted in no way to be involved, but she had the oddest feeling that-

"Wait! I know! You can go in our place, right? Can we count on you?" He looked so pitiful.

"I guess so..."

"Great!" He said, beaming. "You can choose one of the Pokémon over there." He pointed towards an odd looking device with three Pokéballs perched on it. She touched each one, indecisive. She finally picked up the one that felt warm to the touch. Elm walked up. "So, you'll take the Cyndaquil? Well, I guess you'll probably nickname her, right?"

Resa clicked the Pokéball. The little Pokémon was blue, with a cream colored underside. There was a few red spots on her back. A cute little tuft of fur poked out from between her eyes.

"Um... She's a Cyndaquil... so... Cynder? No... how about... Flare!" She knelt to pick up the Cyndaquil. "Do you like it, Flare?"

"Cyyynnndddaaaa!" Flare said, an adorable grin on its face.

Professor Elm looked a little... surprised. Or sick... Definitely pale though...

Resa raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, Professor...?"

Elm shook it off. "I'm fine. No, really." He looked at her again. "Are you sure about naming her Flare?"

Resa looked at him quizzically. "Yeah." Flare hopped out of Resa's arms.

Elm moved on, still looking a little pale. "How do you like walking with your Pokémon? It's not bad, is it?"

Resa shook her head.

"You can take Flare," He paused for a second, looking a little freaked out. "You can take Flare all the way to Mr. Pokémon's house."

Resa's eyes widened. "I don't have to give her back, do I?"

Elm suppressed a laugh. "No. She's yours to keep."

He turned to his laptop yet again. "If your Pokémon gets hurt... You should come back here and heal it with this machine." He indicated another weird looking device. "It's easy to use. Just check the laptop there on my desk, okay?"

"Got it, Professor. Anything else?"

"Hmm... Well... Mr. Pokémon goes everywhere on his travels and finds rarities. His house is past Cherrygrove City. Go north a little past Cherrygrove. I'm counting on you Resa!" A dark look crossed his face. "Don't let me down."

"Okay Professor. Flare and I will get it done."

Resa turned to the Cyndaquil. "Come on, Flare."

Flare turned her head to the side, still a little unused to its new name. As Resa started to leave, Flare made a mad dash after her. "Cynda!"

Then Professor Elm's only assistant rushed to stop her.

"Resa? I want you to have these to help you with your task." He shoved five pale purple bottles at her.

"Umm... Thanks, I think... What are they?" She put them in her bag.

"Potions. Pokémon are weak in the beginning. Don't hesitate to use a Potion if you think.. Flare is in danger."

"Um... Thanks again.." The assistant rushed out of the way, and Resa quickly walked outside.

… Where she saw Ethan and the mischievous Marill.

"Resa!" He looked at Flare, who was hiding behind Resa's feet. "So you picked a Cyndaquil, huh?" He grinned. "That's a really cute one, too."

Resa smiled at her friend. "Yeah, her name's Flare."

Ethan frowned for a second. "Flare, huh. Why does that... Never mind. Resa, when you walk with any of your Pokémon, they'll become a lot more friendly. It's really great to talk to them, too."

Resa raised an eyebrow. "You talk like you've actually had a behaved Pokémon."

"Yeah, well, Marill can be pretty great at times. Why don't you show your first Pokémon to your mom? She'd love to see it."

"That's right! Flare, how about it? Wanna meet my mom?"

Flare was still looking at Marill uneasily. "Cyyyyndaaaaa..."

Ethan looked at Resa again. "See ya!" He started walking away, but Marill walked up to Flare and sat there for a moment. "Marr? Marill-Mar!"

"Cyndaquil? Quil-quil?"

"Maaaarrrriiillll!"

"Marill! Come on! Let's go!" The Marill jumped in shock. "Marrriiilll! Then it ran after it's Trainer.

Flare looked up at the sky. Then started walking after Resa. "Cynda!"


	3. Chapter 2

"Oh! Resa! That's a cute Pokémon you have! Professor Elm must have given it to you?" Her mom grinned.

Resa looked at the mentioned Pokémon. "Yep, she's a pretty sweet Cyndaquil."

"Did you name her? Tell me!"

"Yeah, her name's Flare." Her mom's face whitened... And Resa groaned in frustration.

"Why does everyone start freaking out when they hear Flare's name? I mean... seriously!"

"Oh it's nothing... So what did Elm want?"

"Oh, yeah, that favor? He wanted me to have Flare, then he gave me this weird job all of a sudden."

"Hmm... A task? What kind of task?"

"Task is kinda a weird word, Mom. He just wants me to go get something from a Mr. Pokémon."

"Hmm... I see. That sounds a little difficult. But when someone makes a request like that, it must be important!"

"I guess I'll go along with that..."

"Oh! Resa! That's right! I almost forgot!" Resa's mom fumbled for something in her pockets. "Here you go! Your Pokégear came back from the repair shop!"

"Um... It wasn't broken before..."

"Eh...heheh... about that... Ethan's Marill soaked it before..."

"Grr... " Flare tilted her head. "Cyynnnda?"

Choosing to ignore Flare, Resa continued talking to her mom.

"Anyways, you remember to call me, okay? Don't forget..."

"I won't. Come on, Flare."

"Remember, Mr. Pokémon's house is on Route 130-"

"-North of Cherrygrove City. Bye, Mom."

"Oh...! Take care, dear." She watched her daughter close the door behind the Cyndaquil.

Resa and Flare were about to leave New Bark Town, but then Professor Elm dashed out the lab.

"Wait one second!"

Flare jumped, and Resa turned around in shock. "Huh?"

The professor walked up to the duo. "I almost forgot about this... Here, let me see your Pokégear for a second." Resa handed it to him, a little confused. "Here, I'll give you my number." He pressed a couple more buttons, then handed the Pokégear back to Resa. "I'll call you if anything comes up, Resa." He walked back to his lab.

"Haha! Flare! C'mon! Let's get outta here!"

"Cynda! Quuuiiiill!

They kept to the trail, and wove through the small paths, avoiding the tall grass as much as possible. Soon, before they knew it, they were at Cherrygrove City. A man walked up to them.

"You're a rookie Trainer, aren't you? I can tell!"

Flare was indignant, "Cyyynndaaaaa!"

"That's OK! Everyone is a rookie at some point!"

"Um... yeah, I really should-"

"If you'd like, I can teach you a few things."

Resa shrugged. Apparently, the crazy old guy won't listen anyways.

"OK then! Follow me!"

He ran off faster than Resa thought was possible. He backtracked. "What's the matter? Aren't you coming?"

He walked Resa to a building with an orange roof. "This is the PokéCenter. They heal your Pokémon in no time at all. You'll be relying on them a lot, so you better learn all about them."

She followed him to the building next to it. This one had a blue roof. "This is a PokéMart. They sell Pokéballs for catching wild Pokémon, along with some other useful items."

He dashed to a path heading North. "Route 30 is out this way. Trainers will be battling their Pokémon there. If you go a little farther, you'll get to Mr. Pokémon's house."

Resa made a mental note before following the man again. He stopped in front of the rolling tides, to the west of the city. "This is the sea, as you can see. Some Pokémon are found only in the water." Resa looked down to see Flare looking a little edgy.

Then they stopped in front of a house. Resa raised her eyebrow. "Here... it's my house! For taking the time to listen to an old man's rattling, I'll give you this!" He handed her a small object. It looked a little bit like a Pokéball, but it had a screen. Resa remembered Ethan had one... but this one had a black cover on it. On the back was a small etching of a majestic silver Pokémon. The man smiled. "This is a PokéWalker. You can put a Pokémon in it, and you as you walk around, it'll grow! Isn't it great? Anyways, I gotta go!" He went into his house, right as Resa realized that there was already a Pokémon on the PokéWalker. It had a star-shaped head, and it was a really peculiar Pokémon. Resa didn't recognize it. She clipped it onto her bag, along with her Pokégear. Then she and Flare started north. As soon as she stepped onto the path, the crazy old man came running.

"...Hffp... Hffp... I made it. I forgot about one thing. This is another token from me."

He held out an odd looking object. "Take it."

"Umm... what is it?

He sighed. "Give me your Pokégear." She unclasped it and passed it to him. He fiddled with it for a few seconds, then gave it back.

"What did you do?"

"I added the Town Map app to your Pokégear. Your Pokégear becomes more useful as you add apps. Anyways, I wish you luck on your journey!" He dashed off.

"Uhh... " Resa looked down to see Flare sniffing flowers, distracted. "Come on, Flare, we have to get going." Flare looked a little upset, so Resa tried to reason with the stubborn little thing. "Aww, come on. We have to finish up our job for the Professor."

"Cynda! Cynda-quuuuuuiiiiiIlll."

They walked for a couple minutes, and then they came up to a house next to a Apricorn tree.

Resa laughed. "I bet this is Mr. Pokémon"s house! We're here Flare!" The rash little Cyndaquil rushed in. "Hey, Flare!" Resa stepped in after it. Inside the first room was a man who Resa assumed was Mr. Pokémon. He spoke.

"People usually come to my house looking for Mr. Pokemon's house."

Resa grabbed her hyper-active Cyndaquil. "Um... you mean-"

"You did mean to visit my house, right?"

Resa reasoned that lying wouldn't hurt, "Yeah... I guess."

He smiled. "How kind of you!" An odd look came over his face. "Do you... have any Apricorns? The trees bear fruit once a day. I have one growing outside."

"Yeah, Flare and I saw it."

"Apricorns are really something. You can make Pokéballs and other things. They're quite useful." He looked around and picked up a box from a desk. "I have a feeling that this was meant to be. I'm so happy that I'll give you this!"

Resa accepted the box and opened it.. It was quite empty.

"That's an Apricorn box. With that, you can carry so many Apricorns." He explained. "You'll be a decent Apricorn collector."

"Oh... Um... Thank you... sir..." Resa gently shoved the box into her bag. Then nearly ran from the house.

"Aw man! How embarrassing! That must mean Mr. Pokémon's house is further down the path." She paused to watch two boys in the middle of a battle.

"Go, Rattata! Tackle!"

The Rattata leaped at the opponents Pidgey.

"Dodge it!" The Pidgey didn't have enough time to, and the Rattata's tackle hit home. Resa tried to pass by, but one of the boys yelled.

"This is a big battle! Leave us alone!"

Resa stepped away, confused. Flare tugged her shoelaces. "What, Flare?"

"Cynda-Cynda!" It pointed its paw at a separate path.

"Way to go, Flare! Good job!" Resa beamed with pride. "C'mon."

They came to another house, and this time Resa knocked on the door. After a couple seconds, a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat opened it.

"Ah, you must be Resa! Come in, come in." Resa quickly noticed he seemed very... dramatic. "It was I who sent an e-mail to Professor Elm earlier."

He had Resa and Flare sit on wooden chairs. He walked over to a glass cabinet and withdrew a round object. He brought it over. "This is what I want Professor Elm to examine."

Resa accepted the object. It looked an awful lot like an egg. It had blue and red markings all over it. She very gently slipped it in her black bag.

Mr. Pokémon smiled. "A friend of mine from Ecruteak gave it to me. I bet you can't find this kind of egg in Johto. I thought maybe Professor Elm could tell me what this is. After all, 'He's the best when it comes to the research of Pokémon evolution.' That's a quote from the famous Professor Oak. I'm assuming you have to return to Professor Elm? Your little Cyndaquil friend there should have some rest."

"She's Flare."

Yet again, another person paled at the mention of Flare's name. "That's a great name, Resa." He managed to stammer. Another man walked up.

He smiled. "And with that... I'm Professor Oak, a Pokémon researcher. "

"Um... hi." She shook his hand.

"So you're Resa! I was visiting my friend, Mr. Pokémon here. I heard that you were running an errand for Professor Elm, so I waited here."

He looked at Flare. "Oh! What's this? A rare Pokémon!" He touched his chin in thought. "I see... You must be helping Professor Elm's Research... I think I understand why Professor Elm gave you that Cyndaquil. It seems you will treat your Pokémon with love and care." He looked back at Resa. "...Ah! You seem very dependable. How would you like to help me out?"

"Umm... I really-" She stopped when he pulled out a small red device.

"See? This is the latest version of the Pokédex. It automatically records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught. It's a high tech encyclopedia! I'd like you to have it." She placed it in her pocket. He closed his eyes. "Go meet many kinds of Pokémon and complete that Pokédex! But I've stayed too long. I have to get to Goldenrod for my usual radio show. Resa, I have a feeling that this is not the last time we'll meet... Here, let's exchange numbers, just to be on the safe side." Resa quickly entered the code into the Pokégear. Then the Pokémon Professor left.

Mr. Pokémon spoke again "Heheh. Sorry to trouble you, going back and forth. But please make sure to hand it to Professor Elm!"

"Bye, I'll make sure."

As she took a step outside the house, her Pokégear started buzzing like crazy.

She looked at the video screen. A frantic Professor Elm showed up.

"H-hello? Resa? It's a disaster! Uh, um. It's just terrible!"

"Calm down. Tell me what happened."

Obviously, Resa was ignored. "What should I do? It... Oh, no... Please get back here now!" The screen turned snowy.

"Oh gosh! Professor? Come on Flare! We have to hurry!"


	4. Chapter 3

Resa and Flare dashed through Cherrygrove City, desperate to make it back to New Bark Town. Flare runs ahead and accidentally tackles a red-haired boy.

"Oof." He gets up, shoving Flare off of him. Then he glares at Resa.

"I'm sorry! Flare didn't mean to-"

"You got a Pokémon at the Lab. What a waste. That's a Pokémon too good for a wimp like you."

"What?" Resa stood there numbly.

The boy grinned maliciously. "Don't you get what I'm saying?"

"I... I..."

"Well, I too have a good Pokémon. I'll show you what I mean!"

The boy threw a Pokéball. "Totodile! Show them what you're made of!"

"Flare! Use uh... Leer?" Resa realized that this was her first battle. And she wanted to win.

Flare glared at Totodile, and it shivered.

"You use Leer too, Totodile!"

Resa actually was a little nerovus about the Totodile's vicious face. Flare stood there in shock.

"Flare! Snap out of it! Use Tackle!" Flare flew at the water-type.

"Totodile, use Leer again!"

Flare closed her eyes, but Resa still saw it shiver. "Quick, Flare! Use... Smokescreen!" Smoke clouded the area.

"Keep using Leer, Totodile" The boy glared coldly.

"Quick Flare! Tackle!" The Totodile could barely stand.

"Hmph,.. You're doing okay for someone weak... Use Scratch!"

The Totodile staggered through the smoke. Needless to say, the Totodile missed.

Resa grinned, she could sense the victory. "Tackle it again, Flare!"

The Totodile collapsed, unable to get up. "Hmph! Are you happy you won? Totodile, return." Resa kinda felt bad for the Pokémon, but the win felt amazing!

The boy continued talking. "Do you want to know who I am?"

"Sure, why not?"

"I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Trainer." He shoved Resa aside, and a Trainer Card fell to the ground. Resa picked it up only to see the name 'Maven' flash in the sunlight. The boy turned around. "Give it back! That's my Trainer Card!" He grabbed it from Resa. "Oh no! You saw my name..." He rushed off. Resa turned to Flare.

"What was his problem? At least he's gone now... Never mind that. You okay? That Totodile didn't manage to get any hits in, right?"

"Cynda!" Flare nodded proudly.

"C'mon," Resa said, starting to run. "We have to get back to the Professor!"

"Cynda-Cynda-quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill!"

* * *

"Proffessor Elm?" Resa and Flare walked into the lab. An officer stood there.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Resa... what's going on?"

"I'm officer Jenny. I'm investingating the case of the missing Pokémon here..." She smiled and closed her eyes. "Rule number one! 'Whoever did it will come back to the site!' " She looked at Resa, again. "Oh my... So you must be... the one who did it? You're under arrest!"

"W-w-wait! What do you mean? What are you accusing me of?"

Ethan ran in. "Hold on a second! She had nothing to do with it! I saw it. There was a red-haired boy looking in the lab through the windows!"

"A boy with red-hair... I battled someone like that! He had a Totodile."

The officer looked between Ethan and Resa. "What? You did! He must be the culprit! Did you get his name?"

"Um... His trainer card said 'Maven'"

"So that's his name then! Thanks for helping my investigation!"

"No problem, officer Jenny."

"Call me Jenny, please. My next assignment is to search for this red-haired individual, Maven. Thanks again." She tipped her hat and proudly walked out.

"Resa! I'm glad Officer Jenny understands that you didn't do it. Anyways, see you later."

He left and Resa stared blankly at Prof. Elm. "Do what? I really don't get it. And what happened?"

"Resa... It's terrible..." He smiled, and tried to change the subject. "Oh, yes, what was Mr. Pokémon's big discovery?"

"Oh, right. This..." Resa pulled out the egg from her bag, and passed it to Prffessor Elm.

"Huh? This is an... Egg, isn't it? Well... I haven't seen an egg like this before... but still, it's just an Egg."

Flare spoke up. "CYNDA!"

"Yep, Flare, we walked all the way over there for a Pokémon egg."

Elm shrugged. "Well, Mr. Pokémon has always been fascinated by Pokémon eggs. Well, since he gave it to us, we might as well find out what secret it holds. I'll keep it for a while to find out about the Egg."

Resa pulled out the Pokédex. Elm cried out. "What? Where did you get that Pokédex?"

"Professor Oak was at Mr. Pokemon's house, He gave it to me."

"Wow... The great Professor Oak? Is it true? Th-that's incredible!"

"What do you mean Professor?"

"He is superb at seeing the potential of people as Trainers. Wow, Resa. I knew you were a little different."

"Hey! And what do you mean by that?"

He ignored her comment. "Things are going to be interesting! By the way, Flare really seems to like you. Why don't you... take the Pokémon Gym challenge? If you manage to defeat all the Gym Leaders, you'll eventually challenge the Pokémon League Champion! …Or not! Ha ha! Resa, listen. Defeating the Champion is not at all easy, but you can certainly challenge Violet City's Gym." He turned towards a computer screen. "Challenging the Gyms scattered around will be a long journey. Berfore you leave, make sure that you talk to your mom. Bye."

"Goodbye Professor. Come on, Flare, we're gonna take a really long walk after this."

"Cynda?"

"Don't worry, you're small enough to ride on my shoulders, take it easy."

"Quiiil." Flare was still frowning about the idea of a long walk.


	5. Chapter 4

Resa stepped back into her house. Her mom greeted her again.

"Just when I think you've left, you come back." She said with a smile which faded. "So this time you're leaving on an adventure..."

"Yeah, that's about right."

"Ok, Resa. I want to help you!"

"How?" Resa retorted in disbelief.

"Hmm... I know! Every time you earn prize money, I can save some of it for you. On a long journey, money can be very important. Can I save your money for you?"

"Uh... Sure. I guess. It doesn't really matter."

"Ok, then! I'll take care of that then! Be careful."

"Ok, ok..."

"Pokémon are your friends. When you work as a team, you can accomplish anything! Now, go on!"

"Alright, Alright, I'm going!"

She closed the door behind her. "Alright then, Flare. Let's get going."

As Resa and Flare left New Bark Town, they saw Ethan and his Marill. The little blue Pokémon bounced around in greeting.

"MARILLLLLL!"

Ethan turned. "Oh, hi, Resa. There you are! Hey, you know you can catch wild Pokémon with Pokéballs, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how yet... I'll figure it out eventually!"

"Nah, I'll just show you... Follow me!"

The foursome walked out into the tall grass, where a Rattata immediately jumped out.

"Rattaaa-rraaat!" It crouched defensively. "Ratta!"

Ethan glanced at Marill. "Come on, let's go! Use Tackle!"

Marill pounded the Rattatta. "Mar!" The Rattata got up and tackled Marill back.

It regained its balance, but tripped. "RATT!"

Etahn grinned. "Time to throw a Pokéball!" The little red sphere went flying, and the Rattata vanished in a flash of light. "See? Just like that, Resa! Well, I probably should've weakened it more though... Or make it fall asleep... You can try all kinds of things. Just see what works for you. Here, you can have these. Good luck, Resa!" He handed her some Pokéballs. "See ya, Resa!"

"Wait, Ethan! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to take the gym challenge. I'd like to make Marill stronger."

"And that Rattatta too?"

"Yeah, more or less. I'm gonna head to Violet City. Anyways, see you around."

"Cynda!"

"Bye Ethan. Come on, Flare. It's getting late. I really want to get to Violet City before nightfall. Or I could stay in Cherrygrove... Whatever. Let's get to Violet. I hope we don't run into too many wild Pokémon...

Once they were at the gate to Violet City it was dark. Resa looked at Flare... who was tottering a bit. They had been challenged to several battles, and the wild Pokémon were relentless. On the bright side, Resa had caught a Rattata, and a Bellsprout. A flock of Hoothoot had appeared after nightfall, but Resa had managed to catch one. She was about to enter the city when... all of a sudden... Ethan appeared out of nowhere.

"Ha! I knew it was you, Resa! How'd you get past me? I didn't see you. It must've been when we had to head back to New Bark Town... Well, whatever. Resa, here. It's something neat for surprising me. Here." He handed here something. She looked at it, puzzled.

"What is it?"

"It's a Vs. Recorder. It can record Pokémon battles. I have to go now! But I won't let you pass me again!" He turned to his Pokémon. "Come on Marill!" They rushed into the city.

"Well... Whatever. Flare, we should go too. C'mon."

They went to the PokéCenter, where a nurse greeted her.  
"Hello, and welcome to the PokéCenter. We can heal all of your Pokémon, if you'd like."

"Um... sure." She handed the nurse the three Pokéballs from her belt. "Here."

The Nurse hooked them up to a machine. "And what about your Cyndaquil?"

"Um... wait a moment." Resa scrambled through her bag. "Where did I put it? Um..." She quickly realized that she had lost Flare's Pokéball. "Um... She doesn't have a Pokéball..."

"Oh, that's alright. A good meal and a nights rest should do the trick for the two of you!"

"Um... Do you know a place where I could stay...?"

"Yes, I do. In fact, Most PokéCenters have rooms for traveling trainers to stay in."

"Um... how much is it?" Resa asked in a small voice.

"It's free of course. But I need to see your Trainer Card."

"Trainer Card?"

"Yes. Don't you have one?"

"Umm... no."

The nurse smiled. "That's okay. We can get you one by tomorrow. Here's the form... oh, and you can still spend the night in the PokéCenter tonight, but you should still have a Trainer Card. It can be very useful. Anyways, just take the first room upstairs."

"Thank you! Flare, we've got a place to stay!"

"..." The Cyndaquil had already dozed off. "...Quiiiiilllllllllll..."

Resa ran up the stairs. "Thanks again!"

The Nurse laughed. "No problem. See you tomorrow!"

Resa threw her bag onto the carpet. She put Flare on the ground and crawled under the covers. Once her head touched the pillows, she realized how exhausted she was. She started to fall asleep...

Flare woke up. "Cyndaaa..." She climbed up to the bed, and fell asleep next to Resa.

"Gah, what!" Resa woke up and grouchily shoved Flare off of the bed.

"Cynda!" Flare frowned at her Trainer. "Cyn!"

"Oh... Sorry. I'm just tired... Gah..." Her hand brushed a few rumpled papers. It took Resa a while to figure out what they were. "Hmm... Oh! Those are...! The trainer card forms! Nooooooo!" She wailed, sarcastically. "Well, I guess I could fill them out..."

Resa rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pen. She filled it out fairly quickly.

"Name... R-E-S-A... Eye Color... Greeeen... New Bark... Johto... Hair Color? Black..."

She signed her name and sleepily walked downstairs to five the form to the nurse... lady... person...


	6. Chapter 5

The nurse looked the forms over. "Hmm...mhmmm... alright! Now, If you could just wait until tonight, I'll have your trainer card for you!" She looked up from the papers, and laughed. "You haven't been up for too long, have you?"

"No... why?"

"Your hair!"

It stuck up oddly in the back. "Oops..." She smoothed it out. "Thanks! Anyways, I don't think I got your name...?"

"Oh, it's Nurse Joy. Same as my umm... 50 or so cousins. They're nurses too. Oh, and you're..." She glanced at the paperwork. "Resa? Right?"

"Yeah... By the way... Is there anything to do around here in Violet City?"

"Yeah, lots. Are you taking the gym challenge? Because there's one somewhere. But don't be surprised if you lose."

"Ummm... Thanks for the warning? I don't know..." She left taliking half to herself and ahlf to Flare. "We can win... I mean, that Nurse Joy said we could lose... But... Oh... I don't know!"

Resa read the sign outside the gym.

'_Violet City Pokémon Gym _

_ Leader: Falkner_

_ The elegant master of flying type Pokémon_

She walked into the gym. An odd man wearing black glasses stood on a lift. He laughed. "Yo! Champ in the making! You must be here to challenge Falkner, the Gym Leader, right?"

"Yeah! I am." Flare nodded from Resa's shoulder.

The man continued. "You are quite welcome... Almost!"

"Wait... What?"

"The gym is closed today. But the city has a tower called the Sprout Tower where Trainers come to train themselves. You'll never be able to beat Falkner if you haven't gone through their training."  
Resa grumbled to herself as she left. The man was still laughing when she walked out the door.

"Grr... Stupid Sprout Tower! I wanted to earn a gym badge _today_!"

She asked a random kid if they knew where Sprout Tower was. They had pointed north, but they had warned her about some Pokémon. She had left Hoothoot, Rattata, and Bellsprout in the PC. She liked the idea that she didn't need to carry them with her. So that left Flare as the only Pokémon in her party. She started crossing a bridge, and an odd little blue Pokémon. It looked like a bird... It had a beak. Flare walked up to it.

"Cynda?"

The insolent Pokémon turned away.

"Nnnn... Cynda!" Flare tried to grab its attention. It didn't work. Resa scooped up Flare, then looked at the Pokémon. It's name just slipped out of her grasp.

"it's... Oh... It starts with a 'P'... Pidgey isn't right... Oh, duh. _Piplup_. Those are those really cute water type starters from Sinnoh. What's it doing here?"

A boy answered her. "Some Trainer probably ditched it. It won't listen to anyone. They're kinda proud, ya know? And-"

"Well, who cares. I'm gonna try to catch it! Go Flare! Get out there!"

"Cynda?"

The Piplup just glared sullenly at Flare. It didn't move to attack. Or anything. Resa changed her mind. Catching some Pokémon just wasn't right. She walked closer, and then scooped up the Piplup.

"Piiiipluuuuuuup?"

"You know, its not too smart to just sit there like that. Sooner or later,_ someone_ was going to catch you. May as well be me."

"Pip! Pip! PIP!" It struggled and tried to make Resa let go.

"Stop being so _stubborn_! Or grouchy... Oh! I read somewhere that Pokémon can be really grouchy if they're hungry... I have some food left over from breakfast. Its just a bit of bread, and some apple slices. I was gonna save it for later... but I'll make an exception!"

She held the bread near the Piplup's mouth. It held its beak closed, refusing to take the food.

"Maybe you don't like bread. Maybe the apples..."

She held out the apple in front of the Piplup. It refused to even look at it.

"That's it. You know, I really don't want to do this..." She let the little Pokémon go. And sat down about a foot away. "Flare, come here. You're probably hungry!"

"Cynda?" Flare walked over to Resa, and sat down. "Here you go Flare. A nice, sweet, juicy, delicious, apple slice."

Flare took it happily and ate it. "Cynda!"

"Sure, Flare. You can have some more." The Piplup was drooling. It walked up to Resa, very slowly.

"Pip?"

Wordlessly, Resa held out another apple slice. The Piplup took it and ate it.

"PIIiiiiiipp..." The Piplup looked up, begging for more. It had abandoned its pride. It was too hungry.

"Actually, I have an idea. My Pokémon get fed like this every day, because that dry Pokémon food is too expensive. You can come with us if you like."

"Pip?"

"At first I was going to catch you, but you wouldn't have liked that much. So, want to join us?"

"Pip?"

"Yeah, I'll need to catch you though. And it would be easier to take you around in if you had a Pokéball." She rummaged through her bag and brought out a Pokéball. The Piplup rushed forward and touched the white button. It kind of smiled as it vanished.

Resa turned to Flare. "Well, we, have a new team member. I guess... Piplup. He was adorable. Whatever. Lets get to Sprout Tower." To the Pokéball she said. "Then we can see what you're made of." Then she clipped it to her belt.

Soon they walked in, and Resa started walking around. An old lady said that the middle pillar of Sprout Tower was actually a Bellsprout over 100 ft tall. Resa saw a ladder. "Ooh! Yay! Ladders!" She started toward it. A man grabbed her sleeve. "This is Sprout Tower, a place for Pokémon Training. If you make it to the top, you will receive a wonderful move."

"Ooh! I get a reward? That's awesome. And I'll be able to train Piplup!"


	7. Chapter 6

Resa looked annoyed. "Way too many ladders in here, and the Trainers here all have Bellsprout. That move that the guy told us about had better be worth it." Piplup was running alongside Flare. He had been pretty good in battle, but the Bellsprout did have a type-advantage. "Hey! That's that one boy who battled me back at Cherrygrove! Grr..."

Maven withdrew the Totodile. The Elder spoke to him. "You showed us what you've got, and it is indeed good... Take this Technical Machine. However, you should care more about your Pokémon. The way you treat your Pokémon can be too harsh... Remember, Pokémon are not tools of war..."

Maven turned from the elder. Resa was almost afraid he would see her. She could hear him mutter. "...Hmph! He calls himself the Elder, but he was no match for me. Sure enough, those who lecture how you should be 'nice' to Pokémon... They cannot defeat me. All I care about are strong Pokémon that win every time. The rest of them don't mean anything to me." He pulled out an Escape Rope, and left. When he was gone, Resa walked up to the Elder.

"Um... Hello?"

"Hello, young Trainer." He called out a Bellsprout. "So good of you to come here. Sprout Tower is a place of training. People and Pokémon test their bonds to build a bright future together. I am Elder Li, the final test. Allow me to check the ties between you and your Pokémon!"

Resa grinned. "Go! Piplup! You can do it! Use Pound!"

Piplup ignored her, and used Growl at the Bellsprout. Elder Li's Bellsprout used Growth. It emanated a dim green light. "Use Pound, Piplup!" Resa wondered why it had refused to listen to her. This time, Piplup obeyed, and the Bellsprout staggered a little. It used Growth again, and the green light grew brighter. Resa was getting a little worried. "Piplup, use Pound again." Instead, it used Growl again.

"Use Vine Whip, Bellsprout." Piplup got slapped on the flipper by its vines. "Piip?"

"Piplup, use Pound this time!" It turned away from the Bellsprout indignantly. "PIP!" The Bellsprout used Vine Whip, and Piplup angrily faced it. "Piplup, please use Pound!" It ignored her once again and used Bubble. The Bellsprout used Vine whip again. She told Piplup to use Pound. It finally did, and the Bellsprout fainted.

Resa pulled out Piplup's Pokéball. "Piplup, switch out, come back. Flare, I'm not going to take any chances this time. Your turn." The Elder threw out another Bellsprout.

Flare jumped out to battle. "Use Ember!" The Bellsprout tried to avoid it, but the flames caught, and the Pokémon was knocked out cold. Elder Li called it back and sent out a Hoothoot.

"Use Quick Attack, Flare! Hurry!" From battling on the way to Violet City, she knew that Hoothoots could use a move called Hypnosis. Which could spell disaster, especially now that Piplup wasn't listening to her. Flare ran super quickly, and launched herself at the Hoothoot. It still stood there strong, and Pecked at Flare as she tried to recover her footing.

"Use um... Ember!" The Hoothoot was still good to battle after being swathed in the flames.

"Hoothoot, use Hypnosis." Elder Li said dismissively.

"Don't let it look you in the eyes, Flare!" The Cyndaquil obediently covered her eyes with her forepaws. "Now try and use Quick Attack again!" The Hoothoot found itself thrown back several yards. Its eyes were closed.

"Hooooot." It sighed.  
"Alright, return, Hoothoot." He glanced at Resa. "Hmm... the way you battle is quite elegant. You should be able to stand up to Falkner. And you should be able to make good use of this..." He handed her an odd object. "It is a Technical Machine called Flash. Take it with you." She slipped it into her bag, and thanked him. He smiled. "Oh, and by the way, that Piplup might respect you more if you get Falkner's Gym Badge."

"Alright... Thanks again."

Resa rushed back to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy handed her something. Resa looked at it very quickly. "Oh! Thank you, Nurse Joy!" She clambered up to the room she had been given the night before. And then she let Piplup out of his Pokéball. She had stopped ny the PokéMart on the way back, and she gave Flare and Piplup an apple each. She munched on her own apple. Then she sternly looked at Piplup again. "You had better behave tommorrow, because you could lose us our first badge."

It glared at her. "Pip pip pipip. Luuuup."

She sighed. "I wish I knew what you were saying, Piplup. It would make my life easier. "

"Cynda. Quuiiil."

"Alright, that's it! I am off to bed!" She jumped under the covers. Piplup and Flare looked at eachother, and shrugged in that way that Pokémon do. It was the end of Resa's second day of being a Pokémon Trainer.


	8. Chapter 7

The next morning, Resa stepped through the somberly painted Pokémon gym doors. She walked over to a man leaning against a statue of a Pidgeot. He called out to her.

"Yo, Champ in the making! I'm no Trainer, but I can give some advice!"

Resa started to walk past him. "Yeah.. I really don't need it."

"Believe me. You might. If you believe, then a Championship dream can come true."

"Well... Maybe I don't want to be a Champion." Resa breathed deeply. "And I don't believe in dreams."

"Well, that's too bad, you should still listen. The grass type is weak to the flying type. Keep it in mind. Good luck."

"I don't need your luck." She looked around, wondering where to go. Flare tackled her, and knocked her onto a lift. It lurched suddenly, and Resa found herself several stories in the air. She wobbled off the lift, onto a catwalk three feet wide. There was a main platform, marked with boundaries. She stepped into the space she knew as the challenger's square. A blue haired man stood across from her.

"Hello. I'm Falkner, the Violet City Pokémon Gym Leader. People say you can clip Flying-Type Pokemon's wings with a jolt of electricity... I won't allow such insults to bird Pokémon! I'll show you the real power of the magnificent bird Pokémon!" He threw out a Pokéball, and a Pidgey appeared.

Resa thought about sending out Flare, but changed her mind at the last second. "C'mon Piplup! I'm counting on you!" Piplup appeared in a pale blue light.

"Luup!" Piplup faced the Pidgey.

"Try using bubble, Piplup." It was really high up, and a physical attack could send Piplup in a free fall.

Instead of using Bubble, the little Pokémon turned away from the Pidgey, who abruptly countered with a sand-attack. Resa rubbed the sand from her eyes and wondered where the sand came from. "Use Bubble this time, _please_." The Piplup remained in its position, turned away from the foe.

The Pidgey sent more sand toward Resa. Since Piplup was turned away, the sand merely bounced off of its back. Unfortunatly, Flare was caught in the grit.

"Cynda!"

"Shh... Piplup, please use bubble!" This time Piplup obeyed, and a spray of bubbles flew at the bird.

"Use Tackle, Pidgey!" The Pidgey flew at Piplup and sent it crashing to the floor. It got up indignantly. "PiiiiiipLUP!"

"That's it Piplup! Use Pound!" Despite it's obvious anger at the Pidgey, Piplup pretended not to notice Resa's instructions. The Pidgey tackled it again. Piplup didn't even let Resa issue the order. It pounded the Pidgey with as much power as it could muster. The Pidgey collapsed, and it couldn't get up, even though it tried.

"Come on back, Pidgey. You did a good job. Your turn, Pidgeotto!"

"Piplup, are you still okay to battle?"

The Piplup was glaring at the Pidgeotto. "Pip!"

Falkner smiled. "The wind is finally with us!"

"Use Pound, hurry!" The Pidgeotto was faster than Piplup, and Piplup tucked a wing in front of its face as a strong gust blew through the battlefield. Piplup couldn't manage to attack.

"Pidgeotto, keep it up!" Piplup still couldn't manage to attack. Resa knew that she would have to switch him out with Flare.

"Piplup, you can do it!" The Pidgeotto tackled Piplup, who growled in anger. The Pidgeotto was unfazed. It tackled Piplup again. Piplup collapsed against the impact.

Resa acted quickly. "Piplup! Return! Go get them, Flare!"

Flare had spent the time gauging the Pidgeotto's power and speed. "Cyynda!"

"Use Ember!" Flare spewed fiery sparks at the bird.

"Pidgeotto, tackle it and end this battle!"

Flare jumped and clung to the Pidgeotto. The Pidgeotto struggled and tried to shake Flare off. Resa saw her chance. "Use Ember again!" The flames singed the Pidgeotto's feathers. Pidgeotto slammed into the ground. Flare skidded, but recovered near the edge.

"Tackle it! Hurry!" Flare did so, and the Pidgeotto retaliated by flapping its wings.

"We can still fly!" Falkner cried.

Resa grinned grimly. "Not for long!"

"Quick Attack! Now!" Resa needed Flare's speed. And she came through! The Pidgeotto fainted.

Falkner shook his head. "Alright. I understand. I'll bow out gracefully." He shook his head again. "For pity's sake! My dad's cherished bird Pokémon... But a loss is a loss. All right. Take this."

He pressed something into her hand. It was a badge!

"This is the Zephyr Badge." Resa clipped it onto her bag. Falkner continued. "Now that you have this, your Piplup should obey you without question. And you can use a move called Rock Smash to destroy boulders. And take this as well. This TM teaches the move Roost. Flying type Pokémon can learn it. Anyways... I'm confident you can get through the rest of the gyms. Good luck. Oh... and I suggest heading to Azalea Town. Good bye."

Resa scooped up Flare, who was close to fainting from exhaustion. "Good bye Falkner. Maybe we can battle again."

He smiled. "Sure. Someday."

Resa left the Gym, and her Pokégear. Resa answered it. Elm's face appeared on the screen. "Hello Resa? We've discovered something! The details are... well, I can't really say anything, but we want you to carry that Egg! My assistant is at the PokéMart in Violet City. Could you go meet him and pick up that Egg?"

"Sure."

Elm nodded, and hung up. Resa carried Flare, and walked to the PokéMart. There, a familiar face greeted her. "Resa! Oh, here's that egg you came for!" Emma handed the Egg to her. There were a bunch of blue and red triangles covering it.

"Thank you." Resa said sincerely. She noticed it was in a glass case, with a Pokéball attached to it. Emma smiled. "Professor Elm got a phone call, and he suddenly called out. 'I can't think of anyone more suited for that than Resa!' Then he made me come out here and give this to you. By the way, I'm running really late. Keep that egg with you until it hatches!" Emma ran out the door in a rush. Resa followed her, and almost ran into a woman wearing a kimono. She saw the egg in Resa's hands.

"Me oh my... That Egg must be...! I see... So it was handed from Mr. Pokémon to Professor Elm, then from Professor Elm to you. Now I get it..." She took a step back. "That Egg is truly an important Egg. Please do take good care of it for me. Is that understood?"

"U-uh! Yes!"

The woman spun in a circle, and turned to Resa. "I am counting on you." Then she walked away. Resa frowned, confused by this odd woman. She turned and walked over to the Pokémon Center. She had to leave Piplup with Nurse Joy. He was injured from the battle, but he would be alright. She carried Flare up to the room. She tidied up, and placed the Pokémon egg on the bedside table. She hugged Flare, and fell asleep.


End file.
